My Tinnitus: 98% Cured

[Tamalak]

Flickering, intermittent (at first) pure high pitched tone in my left ear, much gentler crystal-hum in my right ear. Not accompanied by hearing loss. I had it for four years and there was a terrible 1.5 year period where it was essentially nonstop.

Cause was unknown but almost certainly not caused by noise, as I was pretty careful not to expose myself to loud noises/concerts and hadn't had any noise trauma when it suddenly began.

The ENT visits went as they do for everyone else here. They did some tests and concluded "You have tinnitus!"

"Okay," I said, "what do I do. Let's figure out what's causing this and stop it," because I foolishly believed that is what medicine is all about.

"There's no cure or real treatment, your only hope is CBT which doesn't actually help the symptoms at all but essentially trains you to pretend it isn't a problem." they said.

I gave them the middle finger and left. NOT HEARING THE NOISE was and is the only thing I considered an acceptable solution.

Finally there was a clue: a party downstairs in the place that I lived that was making my sleep even worse, so I put a "white noise" YouTube video on. The sound was like a passenger jet engine and was about as loud as it would sound from within the cabin of the plane. It did the trick just fine to drown out the party.

The next day I had severe hearing loss in my left ear. This is the first time I have EVER had hearing loss in either ear and the first time I had ever used a "white noise" YouTube video. The worthless ENT of course dismissed the idea that the video could POSSIBLY cause what I experienced, decided it was a virus, and put me on steroids.

The hearing loss went away in about 24 hours and was replaced by unusually nasty tinnitus which then settled in 3 days.

This is how I discovered that my tinnitus was being caused, or at least fueled by, NOISE AT NIGHT. Not intense noise, ANY noise, especially steady "white" noise like a fan. I shut down the fan that I had been using almost constantly for all that time, and even the ceiling fan (I'll tell you this is not easy in the summer..), closed my windows at night, etc. My tinnitus went into a slow but unambiguous decline. No longer constant, then half on half off, then essentially gone with occasional "bad weeks". Then bad days. Then bad moments. This was 8 months ago.

Currently, most days I do not even think about tinnitus much less hear it. I do not think I will ever stop enjoying the sound of silence, however

I have no idea how many people my case may apply to and I expect it isn't many.

But have hope and demand a cure. T is not a philosophical problem to be "reframed". It is a physical problem occuring in a physical space the size of your thumb. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THE LACK OF A CURE, NOR ANY SUBSTITUTE FOR ONE.

 

[billie48]

Well written success story. Thank you @Tamalak for sharing it. This story illustrates the point of never giving up hope that T can fade or disappear, as you are now almost T free after 4 years with 1.5 years of non-stop T. Geez, perhaps I need to use ear plugs for sleep from now on (LOL). Just kidding, but whatever works for us, do it. Yes, it is about time the medical and pharmaceutical world catch up with the new 'plague' of the modern era with so many people getting T with all the loud noises we are exposed to, gigz, speakers, earphones, loud machines and loud jobs and environmental noises.

 

[RaZaH]

Wow, noise at night ! Interesting

 

[Danny Boy]

Flickering, intermittent (at first) pure high pitched tone in my left ear, much gentler crystal-hum in my right ear. Not accompanied by hearing loss. I had it for four years and there was a terrible 1.5 year period where it was essentially nonstop.

Cause was unknown but almost certainly not caused by noise, as I was pretty careful not to expose myself to loud noises/concerts and hadn't had any noise trauma when it suddenly began.

The ENT visits went as they do for everyone else here. They did some tests and concluded "You have tinnitus!"

"Okay," I said, "what do I do. Let's figure out what's causing this and stop it," because I foolishly believed that is what medicine is all about.

"There's no cure or real treatment, your only hope is CBT which doesn't actually help the symptoms at all but essentially trains you to pretend it isn't a problem." they said.

I gave them the middle finger and left. NOT HEARING THE NOISE was and is the only thing I considered an acceptable solution.

Finally there was a clue: a party downstairs in the place that I lived that was making my sleep even worse, so I put a "white noise" Youtube video on. The sound was like a passenger jet engine and was about as loud as it would sound from within the cabin of the plane. It did the trick just fine to drown out the party.

The next day I had severe hearing loss in my left ear. This is the first time I have EVER had hearing loss in either ear and the first time I had ever used a "white noise" youtube video. The worthless ENT of course dismissed the idea that the video could POSSIBLY cause what I experienced, decided it was a virus, and put me on steroids.

The hearing loss went away in about 24 hours and was replaced by unusually nasty tinnitus which then settled in 3 days.

This is how I discovered that my T was being caused, or at least fueled by, NOISE AT NIGHT. Not intense noise, ANY noise, especially steady "white" noise like a fan. I shut down the fan that I had been using almost constantly for all that time, and even the ceiling fan (I'll tell you this is not easy in the summer..), closed my windows at night, etc. My T went into a slow but unambiguous decline. No longer constant, then half on half off, then essentially gone with occasional "bad weeks". Then bad days. Then bad moments. This was 8 months ago.

Currently, most days I do not even think about T much less hear it. I do not think I will ever stop enjoying the sound of silence, however

I have no idea how many people my case may apply to and I expect it isn't many.

But have hope and demand a cure. T is not a philosophical problem to be "reframed". It is a physical problem occuring in a physical space the size of your thumb. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THE LACK OF A CURE, NOR ANY SUBTITUTE FOR ONE.

So, is it 98% quieter?

 

[Tamalak]

So, is it 98% quieter?

More like 98% less frequent. As in I go into a room, try to listen for it, and can't hear it. I know the threat of it is still there, though, I've learned to sense the "energy" or "potential" that precedes it (it's sort of a warm flickering/murmuring) and I've noticed that a few times in the last couple of days. But it has not resolved into actual T (of more than a 1 out of 10 in volume) in months.

Here is a better description of my T than I give here.. because at the time I was actually experiencing it:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-my-tinnitus-unusual-please-help-identify-it.1604/

 

[Danny Boy]

More like 98% less frequent. As in I go into a room, try to listen for it, and can't hear it. I know the threat of it is still there, though, I've learned to sense the "energy" or "potential" that precedes it (it's sort of a warm flickering/murmuring) and I've noticed that a few times in the last couple of days. But it has not resolved into actual T in months.

Here is a better description of my T than I give here.. because at the time I was actually experienced it:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/is-my-tinnitus-unusual-please-help-identify-it.1604/

Sounds like mild tinnitus and you found acceptance. Glad you found it buddy.

 

[Tamalak]

Sounds like mild tinnitus and you found acceptance. Glad you found it buddy.

I never accepted it. I was enraged about it every single time I heard it. I never habituated and never tried.
I'm still enraged that other people are being subjected to this insane, pointless torture. And I'm enraged that "acceptance" is being touted as anything close to as good as an actual cure.

 

[Nucleo]

Makes sense I guess. If your ears are wounded then putting constant noise to try and mask the tinnitus overnight, on top of the daily exposure may delay any healing (not regeneration) that would take place in the cochlea.

 

[Danny Boy]

I never accepted it. I was enraged about it every single time I heard it. I never habituated and never tried.

So what was it on a scale of 1 to 10?

 

[Danny Boy]

Makes sense I guess. If your ears are wounded then putting constant noise to try and mask the tinnitus overnight, on top of the daily exposure may delay any healing (not regeneration) that would take place in the cochlea.

I thought masking it from the start helps? I seen a study which said it did.

 

[linearb]

Sounds like mild tinnitus and you found acceptance. Glad you found it buddy.

Er, I do not think that's what he said at all, perhaps you should re-read it. What he is saying is that he had significant tinnitus, which he believes was being exacerbated by frequent exposure to sound while sleeping. Whether or not this will be true or helpful for other people is another story, but it's certainly interesting.

I slept with a fan for 30 years. I recently stopped, and I've noticed that now when I have a fan on at night, my T increases and will often be worse the next morning. However, sleeping in the closest to dead silence I can approximate in an urban environment, has so far not cured me

 

[Tamalak]

So what was it on a scale of 1 to 10?

The volume varied considerably. At best it was a 3/10 (distracting). At worst it was 7 or 8 (causing temporary insanity, intense depression, and barely contained urges to hit or stab my ear). Even that I would not rate a 10. I know many out there are suffering more right now than I did at my worst. I have no words for how angry that makes me.

 

[Nucleo]

I thought masking it from the start helps? I seen a study which said it did.

Who knows. If you have a wound, does repeatedly touching it help healing? The same thing maybe applies here who knows.

 

[Danny Boy]

Er, I do not think that's what he said at all, perhaps you should re-read it. What he is saying is that he had significant tinnitus, which he believes was being exacerbated by frequent exposure to sound while sleeping. Whether or not this will be true or helpful for other people is another story, but it's certainly interesting.

I slept with a fan for 30 years. I recently stopped, and I've noticed that now when I have a fan on at night, my T increases and will often be worse the next morning. However, sleeping in the closest to dead silence I can approximate in an urban environment, has so far not cured me

I had reactive tinnitus and I couldn't sleep with fans and it competed with the volume. Anyway, it's confusing saying he's 98% cured. Anyway, I'm glad he doesn't find it noticeable.

 

[Tamalak]

I slept with a fan for 30 years. I recently stopped, and I've noticed that now when I have a fan on at night, my T increases and will often be worse the next morning. However, sleeping in the closest to dead silence I can approximate in an urban environment, has so far not cured me

Yes, unfortunately I don't think my method of curing myself will translate to many other people
T seems to have many different causes and I believe my case was a relatively uncommon one.
But the fact is the ENT said I was incurable, and that was simply put bullshit. He had no idea what he was talking about. He may be wrong about your T too.

 

[Danny Boy]

The volume varied considerably. At best it was a 3/10 (distracting). At worst it was 7 or 8 (causing temporary insanity, intense depression, and barely contained urges to hit or stab my ear). Even that I would not rate a 10. I know many out there are suffering more right now than I did at my worst. I have no words for how angry that makes me.

Well, I'm glad you found peace. I have too, but with medication.

 

[linearb]

But the fact is the ENT said I was incurable, and that was simply put bullshit. He had no idea what he was talking about. He may be wrong about your T too.

Oh I don't know about that, most ENTs have told me "I honestly have no idea what's causing your tinnitus", so they are probably 100% correct in that

 

[Danny Boy]

Yes, unfortunately I don't think my method of curing myself will translate to many other people
T seems to have many different causes and I believe my case was a relatively uncommon one.
But the fact is the ENT said I was incurable, and that was simply put bullshit. He had no idea what he was talking about. He may be wrong about your T too.

Well, I managed to get mild tinnitus with trobalt and I no longer have hyperacusis/ reactive tinnitus with keppra.

 

[Danny Boy]

Who knows. If you have a wound, does repeatedly touching it help healing? The same thing maybe applies here who knows.

It's just what the study says, not me.

 

[Nucleo]

It's just what the study says, not me.

I know lol. I guess that shows no one really knows jack-shit about T.

 

[Danny Boy]

I know lol. I guess that shows no one really knows jack-shit about T.

Well, Doctor Large seems to. Man, that name Large love it!

 

[linearb]

Didn't you say you'd stopped taking Trobalt a little while ago, @Danny Boy , or are you still on it?

I need to be drug free for the tDCS trial next month, but after that I might consider a run at Trobalt as a way to stave off going back on benzos a bit longer.

 

[Danny Boy]

Didn't you say you'd stopped taking Trobalt a little while ago, @Danny Boy , or are you still on it?

I need to taper off. Don't know what I'm gonna to do with the tower of trobalt.

 

[linearb]

I need to taper off. Don't know what I'm gonna to do with the tower of trobalt.

You should send it to me, it's going to cost me $350 a month USD

 

[Danny Boy]

You should send it to me, it's going to cost me $350 a month USD

How's it gonna cost you that much?

 

[snow86]

I need to taper off. Don't know what I'm gonna to do with the tower of trobalt.

Well you're surely not interested in selling it to people who need it

 

[Danny Boy]

Well you're surely not interested in selling it to people who need it

It's only because I won't be able to get anymore. If I taper off and my tinnitus is low, I'd be more than willing.

 

[snow86]

Well I hope so...im gonna comb through spain in the meantime.

 

[Danny Boy]

Well I hope so...im gonna comb through spain in the meantime.

Can't believe I bought Spain's entire supply...It was only 14 boxes!?

 

[Nucleo]

Well, Doctor Large seems to. Man, that name Large love it!

He sure got that dreamy gaze thing going for him.